Menu

Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

Round Ireland Yacht 2024 Race Updates from Wicklow Sailing Club
Brendan Coghlan's Royal St George Yacht Club Yoyo is the latest Sunfast 3600 signed up for the Round Ireland Race
A sixth Jeanneau Sunfast 3600, and the second Irish one, is entered for August's Round Ireland Yacht Race as Dun Laoghaire Harbour's Yoyo (Brendan Coghlan from the Royal St George Yacht Club) takes on the 700-mile challenge too. As regular…
Jeanneau Sunfast 3300 Hits 15-Knots During Round Ireland Training VIDEO!
Cian McCarthy's brand new Sunfast 3300 Cinnamon Girl has been hitting some top speeds in training off the Kinsale coast recently. In this video clip (below) the Irish debutante is clocked doing 15 knots in 25 knots of wind. In…
Welsh ISORA yacht Jackknife
Already buoyant entries for August's Round Ireland Yacht Race can expect a further boost when a potent Welsh IRC fleet comes out of lockdown. From the 2018 Race, seven Welsh boats finished in the top 20 but none of these…
The XC45 Samaton is Round Ireland bound
The entry of a Howth Yacht Club XC 45 and J109 brings August's Round Ireland Yacht Race fleet to 45. The stand-out result is made all the more impressive as the Wicklow Race has achieved the numbers in the middle…
Round Ireland regular Jeanneau Sunfast 3600 returns for the 2020 race from Wicklow on August 22nd
Yet Another British-based Jeanneau Sunfast 3600 has entered August's SSE Renewables Round Ireland Race bringing to five the number of the hard chined pocket-rockets entered for Ireland's biennial 700-mile offshore race. Gavin Howe's Tigris latest entry – the 44th boat…
The Belfast Lough IMX 38 eXcession is entered by owners Ruan O’Tiarnagh from Ballyholme YC, John Harrington (Royal Ulster) and Johnny Mulholland, also from Bangor
The second Northern Ireland entry for August's Round Ireland Race is, as Afloat previously reported, the Belfast Lough IMX 38 eXcession entered by owners Ruan O'Tiarnaigh from Ballyholme YC, John Harrington (Royal Ulster) and Johnny Mulholland, also from Bangor. Joining…
Ruan O’Tiarnaigh of Royal Ulster Yacht Club
Ballyholme's Ruan O’Tiarnaigh of Royal Ulster Yacht Club and Ballyholme Yacht Club on Belfast Lough is the 44th entry into August's SSE Renewables Round Ireland Race. O'Tiarnaigh, originally of Sutton Dinghy Club on Dublin Bay, is a multi dinghy champion…
The Sunfast 3300 Cinnamonn Girl is the 44th entry into the Round Ireland Race
Cian McCarthy's brand new Sunfast 3300 'Cinnamon Girl' from Kinsale Yacht Club is the latest entry into the SSE Renewables Round Ireland Yacht Race in ten weeks time. As regular Afloat readers will know, the recently arrived Kinsale-based 3300 supplied by…
Antoine Magre's Palanad 3 from La Trinite sur Mer is the 43rd Round Ireland entry
Making good on last month's speculation by Afloat that the SSE Renewables Round Ireland Race postponement could play into the hands of the Irish offshore race with a larger than normal French presence this August, the first Class 40 entry has…
Juggerknot II is the 42nd entry into the 2020 Round Ireland Race from Wicklow
Andrew Algeo's J/99 Juggerknot II is the 41st entry into August's Round Ireland Race.  The entry for the 21st edition of the 700-mile race from Wicklow Sailing Club is building again after a hiatus during the COVID-19 lockdown. The Round…
Tony Kingston - Round Ireland entrant
I got a strong, supportive reaction to last week’s Podcast in which Glandore Harbour Yacht Club’s Sailing Secretary Hal Andrews, said it was “a nightmare” trying to organise sailing with social distancing. The response to his view was overwhelmingly supportive. …
Tony and Alice Kingston at the start of the 2008 Round Ireland Race
Race regular Tony Kingston from Kinsale Yacht Club is the latest entry into the Round Ireland Yacht Race in his Swan 40, Shindig. It brings entries back up to 40 so far allowing for a number of dropouts due to…
The 2020 Round Ireland Race begins on August 22nd from Wicklow Sailing Club
In a nod to a possible increased French entry, the revised notice of race for August’s Round Ireland Race from Wicklow issued this week says the race will take place under IRC, MOCRA and Class 40 rules. The updated document…
The 2020 Round Ireland Race starts from Wicklow on August 22nd
It is full steam ahead for August's Round Ireland Yacht Race at Wicklow Harbour with three new entries received for the 700-mile classic. Back for another circumnavigation is the Shannon Estuary father and son team of Derek and Conor Dillon…
Wicklow harbour was awarded €95, 000 for upgrading work on its piers
Round Ireland Yacht Race organisers are hoping that the package of measures announced by Marine Minister Michael Creed for Wicklow Harbour last week will be in place for the biennial race that starts in 12 weeks time. Wicklow harbour was awarded…
The Jeanneau Sunfast 3600 Hot Cookie on Dublin Bay
If the prospect of a fleet of four Sunfast 3600s for this summer's Round Ireland Yacht Race is not enough of a sign of Jeanneau's potency offshore these days, the race debut of at least two brand new Sunfast 3300s is…

Round Ireland Yacht Race Information

The Round Ireland Yacht Race is Ireland's classic offshore yacht race starts from Wicklow Sailing Club (WSC) and is organised jointly with the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) and the Royal Irish Yacht Club (RIYC). This page details the very latest updates from the 2008 race onwards including the race schedule, yacht entries and the all-important race updates from around the 704-mile course. Keep up to date with the Round Ireland Yacht Race here on this one handy reference page.

2020 Round Ireland Race

The 2020 race, the 21st edition, was the first race to be rescheduled then cancelled.

Following Government restrictions over COVID-19, a decision on the whether or not the 2020 race can be held was made on April 9 2020 to reschedule the race to Saturday, August 22nd. On July 27th, the race was regrettably cancelled due to ongoing concerns about COVID-19.

Because of COVID-19, the race had to have a virtual launch party at the Royal Irish Yacht Club for its 21st edition

In spite of the pandemic, however, a record entry was in prospect for 2020 with 50 boats entered with four weeks to go to the race start. The race was also going big on size and variety to make good on a pre-race prediction that the fleet could reach 60. An Irish offshore selection trial also looked set to be a component part of the 2020 race.

The rescheduling of the race to a news date emphasises the race's national significance, according to Afloat here

FAQs

704 nautical miles, 810 miles or 1304 kilometres

3171 kilometres is the estimate of Ireland's coastline by the Ordnance Survey of Ireland.

SSE Renewables are the sponsors of the 2020 Round Ireland Race.

Wicklow Sailing Club in association with the Royal Ocean Racing Club in London and The Royal Irish Yacht Club in Dublin.

Off Wicklow Harbour on Saturday, August 22nd 2020

Monohulls 1300 hrs and Multihulls 13.10 hrs

Leave Ireland and all its islands (excluding Rockall) to starboard.

It depends on the boat. The elapsed record time for the race is under 40 hours but most boats take five or six days to complete the course.

The Race Tracker is https://afloat.ie/sail/events/round-ireland/item/25789-round-ireland-yacht-race-tracker-2016-here.

The idea of a race around Ireland began in 1975 with a double-handed race starting and finishing in Bangor organised by Ballyholme Yacht Club with stopovers in Crosshaven and Killybegs. That race only had four entries. In 1980 Michael Jones put forward the idea of a non-stop race and was held in that year from Wicklow Sailing Club. Sixteen pioneers entered that race with Brian Coad’s Raasay of Melfort returning home after six days at sea to win the inaugural race. Read the first Round Ireland Yacht Race 1980 Sailing Instructions here

 

The Round Ireland race record of 38 h 37 min 7 s is held by MOD-70 trimaran Musandam-Oman Sail and was set in June 2016.

George David’s Rambler 88 (USA) holds the fastest monohull race time of two days two hours 24 minutes and 9 seconds set in the 2016 race.

William Power's 45ft Olivia undertook a round Ireland cruise in September 1860

 

Richard Hayes completed his solo epic round Ireland voyage in September 2018 in a 14-foot Laser dinghy. The voyage had seen him log a total of 1,324 sea miles (2,452 kilometres) in 54 sailing days. in 1961, the Belfast Lough Waverly Durward crewed by Kevin and Colm MacLaverty and Mick Clarke went around Ireland in three-and-a-half weeks becoming the smallest keelboat ever to go round. While neither of these achievements occurred as part of the race they are part of Round Ireland sailing history

© Afloat 2020

At A Glance – Round Ireland Yacht Race 2024

Race start: Off Wicklow Harbour on Saturday, June 22 2024

There will be separate starts for monohulls and multihulls.

Race course:  leave Ireland and all its islands (excluding Rockall) to starboard.

Race distance: is approximately 704 nautical miles or 1304 kilometres.

Featured Sailing School

INSS sidebutton

Featured Clubs

dbsc mainbutton
Howth Yacht Club
Kinsale Yacht Club
National Yacht Club
Royal Cork Yacht Club
Royal Irish Yacht club
Royal Saint George Yacht Club

Featured Brokers

leinster sidebutton

Featured Webcams

Featured Associations

ISA sidebutton
ICRA
isora sidebutton

Featured Marinas

dlmarina sidebutton

Featured Sailmakers

northsails sidebutton
uksails sidebutton
quantum sidebutton
watson sidebutton

Featured Chandleries

CHMarine Afloat logo
https://afloat.ie/resources/marine-industry-news/viking-marine

Featured Blogs

W M Nixon - Sailing on Saturday
podcast sidebutton
BSB sidebutton
wavelengths sidebutton
 

Please show your support for Afloat by donating